Greece faced 9,500 forest fires this year, says minister


  • World
  • Wednesday, 11 Dec 2024

FILE PHOTO: A man tries to extinguish a fire burning a house as a wildfire burns in Nea Penteli, Greece, August 12, 2024. REUTERS/Elias Marcou/File Photo

ATHENS (Reuters) - About 9,500 forest fires, including one on the outskirts of Athens, consumed nearly 44,500 hectares of land this year, Greece's hottest and driest on record, official said on Tuesday.

Wildfires are common in the eastern Mediterranean country, but hotter, drier and windier weather that scientists link to the effects of fossil fuel-driven climate change has increased their frequency and intensity.

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